The Incredible Effects Of Oxytocin, Famously Known As The Cuddle Chemical

Lately, many things are being said about oxytocin the hormone that's also known as the "cuddle chemical". Since the 1970s, scientists have been exploring the fascinating secrets of this particular hormone. Nevertheless, it turns out that in labeling oxytocin the "cuddle" or "love" chemical and using the word as an agent that promotes bonding apparently was a mistake. That's because oxytocin is far more complicated than what the scientific world used to believe some years ago.

Oxytocin is mostly for its role in childbirth and maternal bonding. It's the chemical that signals milk to release from the mother to feed the child. It causes contractions during labor and makes new mothers go all googly-eyed over their offspring. However, as scientists studied it further, they discovered that it has a much more complex role in human social bonding than people have ever known.

As it turns out, oxytocin creates favoritism among social groups. For instance, if a German is administered a dose of oxytocin, and then finds himself/herself in a group of Arabic people, he/she might feel disconnected and lost. When he/she does find another German or someone more similar to him/her, he/she will bond with them socially even if they don't like them that much. So what oxytocin has now been noted for is social cognition. Unluckily, that also means that it could potentially lead to discrimination.

As a hormone that may impact social cognition, scientists who study autism as well as doctors who treat it, have been trying to analyze and further understand oxytocin's effects on people who are on the autism spectrum. However, they might have been a bit too eager, since the limited testing that has been made on autistic people with oxytocin has been a bit sloppy and maybe too overzealous to produce the desired results.

According to Dr. Anagnostou, a clinical psychologist involved with several of the initial trials, the testing wasn't done properly, as “it went a little bit too fast.” Due to that, the outcomes of the testings have been muddled and messy in their results.

So oxytocin isn’t just the “cuddle chemical” that we all believed it to be. Nevertheless, powerful hormonal neurotransmitters should not be underestimated regarding scope and complexity. As the studies on this amazing hormone continue, the complexities to come will probably continue to astound us.